If you’re running a business in Ballarat, you’ve probably had that “hang on… why is the power bill like this?” moment. The good news: commercial solar is one of the few upgrades that can cut ongoing costs without changing how you operate, as long as it’s sized properly, approved properly, and installed properly.
This guide is built around what business owners usually want to know before they sign anything: is my site suitable, what size do I need, what will it cost, how long will approvals take, what incentives apply, and how do I avoid the classic “cheap quote, expensive regret” scenario.
Is your site a good fit for commercial solar?
Commercial solar isn’t just “solar, but bigger”. With businesses, the wins, and the risks, usually come down to four things: roof, load, electrics, and approvals.
Roof space, roof condition, and shade
Big roofs are great… unless they’re:
- nearing end-of-life as you don’t want to pay to remove and reinstall solar later
- heavily shaded with trees, parapets, neighbouring buildings, or rooftop plant
- tricky to access safely, with tight sites, fragile roofs, and unusual materials.
A proper site check should include roof condition, fixing points, waterproofing approach, and safe access. If anything feels vague here, push for specifics.
Your daytime energy profile
Most businesses use power during the day: lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, IT, machinery, compressors, and general plug loads. That’s perfect for solar because your system can feed your site while you’re open and using energy.
If your usage is mostly evenings/overnight, solar can still make sense, it just needs smarter sizing, and sometimes load shifting or storage planning.
Your switchboards and metering setup
Businesses often have three-phase supply, multiple switchboards, and multiple meters or tenancies.
None of that is a deal-breaker; it just means the design should be based on how your site is actually wired and billed, not a one-size-fits-all guess.
Quick “is this worth exploring?” checklist
- Your main usage is daytime (or you can shift some load to daytime)
- You’ve got decent unshaded roof area
- The roof is in good nick (or you’re willing to re-roof first)
- You’re comfortable sharing 12 months of bills (or interval data) for accurate modelling
- You’re prepared for distributor pre-approval as part of the process
What size system does your business need?
Here’s the honest answer: the “right size” is the one that matches your daytime usage and your grid connection/export limits.
Typical commercial system ranges
- 10–30 kW: small office, retail, clinic, café/restaurant (depending on load)
- 30–100 kW: larger retail, schools, warehouses, light industrial
- 100 kW+: big roofs + strong daytime loads, or multiple-board sites
Sizing should be backed by your small meter interval data. Bills alone can work, but interval data is where the accuracy jumps.
What good sizing looks like in practice
A solid commercial proposal will show:
- what your system is expected to generate
- how much you’re likely to self-consume on-site vs export
- any distributor/export constraints that shape the final design
- a couple of “good / better / best” options
Demand charges and tariffs:
Some commercial tariffs include demand charges or time-of-use pricing, where when you use power matters almost as much as how much. Solar can help, but only if the system is designed with your actual load shape in mind.
If you can shift flexible loads into solar hours, your solar dollars work harder. Examples include:
- pre-cooling / pre-heating spaces
- scheduling production runs earlier
- running compressors at solar-heavy times
- charging forklifts/equipment during the day
- timing hot water or process heating
What are business solar costs and payback in Ballarat
Commercial solar pricing varies a lot site-to-site because the “solar” part is often only half the job. The other half is access, safety, and electrical integration.
What usually increases cost
- difficult access (EWPs, traffic management, limited work zones)
- roof complexity (fragile roofs, penetrations, waterproofing needs)
- switchboard upgrades or multiple boards/meters
- longer cable runs / trenching between buildings
- higher compliance requirements (site inductions, work permits, etc.)
- advanced monitoring (often worth it for businesses)
What usually improves payback
- high daytime self-consumption
- higher electricity tariffs
- stable weekday operating hours
- using monitoring to keep performance on track
Sometimes, you can get “too good to be true” quotes. If the payback looks unbelievably fast, ask:
- What tariff did you assume?
- What self-consumption rate did you assume?
- What export rate did you assume?
- Did you factor in distributor export limits / pre-approval?
- What electrical works are excluded?
What solar incentives and support is available
STCs: the main upfront incentive for eligible systems
Most business solar systems that fall under the small-scale scheme can access Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). These typically show up as an upfront discount in your quote (your installer creates/assigns the certificates). The official guidance and calculators sit with the Clean Energy Regulator and the REC Registry.
Victorian business programs
For business-facing programs in Victoria, the most reliable approach is to check the official “current opportunities” pages, because programs can open/close in rounds.
Sustainability Victoria – grants and funding
Victorian Energy Upgrades – business options
This one’s worth a look even if you’re “just here for solar”, pairing solar with efficiency upgrades can reduce your base load and lift your overall ROI.
Federal “start here” for business energy grants and funding
Australia’s federal energy site, run by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water) has a business grants and funding hub.
Victorian guidance built specifically for businesses
If you want a plain-English reference that’s actually written for buyers, Solar Victoria has a dedicated Solar for Business PV buyers guide.
This is a handy one to share internally if you’ve got multiple decision-makers (owners, finance, facilities, landlords).
Grid connection approvals in Ballarat
This part matters because your distributor may limit exports or require specific settings, which can change your ideal system size.
Step 1: confirm your electricity distributor
The Victorian Government has an official distributor finder.
Step 2: understand the connection request pre-approval pathway
For Ballarat and much of western Victoria, the distributor is commonly Powercor (and some nearby areas can fall under CitiPower depending on exact location). Powercor’s connection request pages point to eConnect, including seeking pre-approval for rooftop solar connections.
Powercor also has general rooftop solar information and documentation guidance (useful for understanding what “done properly” looks like).
Embedded networks
If you’re in an embedded network, approvals can be different and may involve additional steps.
If this applies to your site, flag it early in the quoting stage, it can affect timeframes and design.
How to pick the right solar installer in Ballarat
You don’t need to become a solar engineer. You just need a couple of “non-negotiables”.
Check accreditation status
The Clean Energy Council explains the accreditation landscape and notes the handover of installer/designer accreditation to Solar Accreditation Australia.
You can check an installer’s accreditation status via Solar Accreditation Australia’s official lookup.
Australia’s federal solar guidance also recommends asking for the installer’s SAA accreditation number and checking it.
What a “good commercial proposal” should include
- Clear system design
- Production estimate with assumptions
- A realistic self-consumption/export explanation
- Distributor approval plan
- Inclusions/exclusions
- Warranty details and who handles service calls
If two quotes are similar in price, the better quote is usually the one that’s clearer.
Solar design choices that matter for businesses
Panels and inverters
Most commercial systems use string inverters, with optimisers or module-level electronics where shading/complex roofs justify it. The best setup depends on your roof layout, shading, and how you want to monitor performance.
Monitoring
For businesses, monitoring isn’t a luxury, it’s how you protect your investment.
At minimum, aim for:
- system-wide generation visibility
- alerts for faults/outages
- clear reporting (monthly or quarterly is plenty)
If you manage multiple sites, ask about portfolio-level reporting.
Batteries
Batteries can make sense when you:
- want backup for critical loads (POS, refrigeration, servers, security)
- have late-afternoon peaks you want to shave
- are planning future flexibility (tariffs change, so adaptability is valuable)
Just keep expectations realistic: backing up an entire commercial facility can get expensive fast. Critical loads backup is often the sweet spot.
What does the solar install process looks like
A typical commercial process looks like this:
- Site inspection + data collection (bills, interval data if possible)
- Design and business case (often with 2–3 system size options)
- Distributor approvals (pre-approval/connection request where required)
- Installation (planned around trading hours and access requirements)
- Commissioning + handover (monitoring, compliance docs, as-built info)
Before install day, you’ll usually want to line up:
- site contact and access details
- any induction/work permit requirements
- agreed shutdown windows if switchboard works need them
- where monitoring access/logins will live one person or a shared inbox
A good installer will make this feel boring, because boring is good when you’re running a business.
Solar maintenance, warranties, and keeping performance healthy
Commercial solar is low maintenance, but still needs your attention. A simple plan that works for many businesses:
- Monthly: quick monitoring check or alerts
- Annually: visual inspection of mounting, cabling, isolators, new shading
- As needed: panel cleaning if soiling is clearly affecting output
When reviewing warranties, separate panel product warranty, panel performance warranty, inverter warranty, and workmanship warranty.
Also ask: Who do I call in year 7? If the answer is unclear, that’s a yellow flag.
Solar financing options in Ballarat
When buying solar, you have many options.
Outright purchase is usually best for long-term ROI and simplest ownership. You can also go for equipment finance or business loan. This spreads the cost so savings can start immediately. Finally, you have the option of lease or PPA. This can reduce upfront spend, but compare total cost, contract terms, maintenance responsibilities, and exit conditions.
Fast comparison questions
- Who owns the system?
- Who maintains it (and what’s included)?
- What happens if I move premises or sell the business?
- Is monitoring/reporting included?
- What are the contract end options?
Your Next Step to Business Solar in Ballarat
Commercial solar can be one of the smartest long-term upgrades you make for your Ballarat business, but the best results come from getting the basics right up front. A well-designed system matches your daytime energy use, fits your roof and electrical setup, and is planned around distributor connection approvals so there are no nasty surprises later. Add solid monitoring and a clear service pathway, and you’ve got a system that quietly does its job: lower bills, better cost certainty, and a more resilient site.
Whether you’re a small retail shop, a busy workshop, or a larger warehouse or office, the key is the same: don’t buy solar as a “product”, buy it as a business case backed by your data and installed properly.
Get a Ballarat Commercial Solar Assessment
Want to know what solar would actually do for your site; not a generic estimate?
Send us your last 12 months of power bills or interval data if you have it, and we’ll:
- recommend a right-sized commercial system for your usage
- flag any switchboard or metering requirements
- check the grid-connection pathway for your location
- give you a clear quote with realistic savings assumptions
Book a Commercial Solar Assessment in Ballarat and we’ll run the numbers properly, so you can make a confident decision, fast.
